Phanariotes

The Phanariotes were members of prominent Greek families in the Phanar quarter of Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was located. The Greeks acquired great wealth and influence during the 17th century, occupying high political and administrative posts in the empire. The Greeks typically held the titles of Grand Dragoman, Grand Dragoman of the Fleet. Hospodar of Moldavia, and Hospodar of Wallachia, with "Dragomans" being translators and "Hospodars" being lords. The Phanariotes copied Russian and Habsburg institutions, making noble rank dependent on state service. During the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s, several Phanariotes played major roles in the independence struggle against the Ottomans. Notable Phanariote families included the Angelos, Argyropoulos, Callimachi, Cantacuzenus, Caradjas, Caratheodoris, Doukas, Ghica, Komnenos, Manos, Mavrocordatos, Mourousis, Palaiologos, Philanthropenos, Rallis, Racovita, Rosetti, Soutzos, Vacarescu, Vlastos, and Ypsilantis. In communist Romania, the Phanariotes were portrayed as reactionary, and many Phanariotes would be expelled from the Ottoman Empire during the Greek Genocide and the Turkish War of Independence during the early 20th century.